Eastbound and Out

The weekdays are actually kind of stressful. Teaching the students is one thing, but getting to work (bus rides, cabs, and walking and God help you if it’s raining or snowing) and the lesson planning times are enough to make anyone’s blood pressure spike.

For instance, I just found out that I have to have all the after school class lessons planned out for the semester by this upcoming week. I also found out that I am in charge of splitting up all the students I see by their English skill levels. So there will be Level 1 (the lowest level, for students who can barely say hello), Level 2 (still a low level, but these students can maybe say “How are you?”), Level 3 (midlevel), and Level 4 (the students who spent time abroad and can hold a conversation with me).

They assured me there’s no pressure, and that I have some time, but it’s quite the task.

So when it comes to the weekends, we’ve actually been cutting loose. We’ve been going out every chance we get, to Incheon and Seoul and soon we’ll venture to other parts of the country, and it’s great to unwind and not think for a while about the intricacies of determining whether a student is a Level 2 or Level 3.

We left the island Friday night for Bupyeong again. This time, we caught the bus and it only took about two hours. Not too bad; I listened to lots of music and Beth and I watched an episode of “House.” We met our friends in front of the Lotte Mart - a giant department store that sells everything from produce to electronics to furniture – and we headed straight for the Star Wars bar. (Yes, you read that right.)

Then we found a bar that was just called Miller Time, where they serve Miller Genuine Draft in large glasses, before going to a bar called Wild Bills, a western-style joint with pool tables and dart boards and filled with Westerners.

In Wild Bills we met a guy from New Zealand who spent four years in Alabama and said the Heart of Dixie is his favorite place on Earth and that’s where he wants to settle down. He had lived on the “south side of Birmingham” and knew all about Montgomery (not Wetumpka), Mobile, and Gulf Shores.

The next day, we all woke up and decided to go to Seoul to meet more friends who were already there. We took the train to City Hall and then on to Itaewon, the foreigners district of Seoul, a place where Canadian sports bars are across the street from Japanese restaurants and German beer halls.

There was this kind of oscillation among the group, excitement about the prospect of buying familiar foods and goods, and disappointment that it could have been any city block in America or Canada and that’s not why we’re here.

Then it was off to Hongdae, a bright neon testament to all things entertainment, and our new favorite place in Korea (so far). They have just as much western stuff as Itaewon without losing the Korean flair. There are shops and boutiques and street vendors, countless bars and lounges, and restaurants serving every kind of food you can want. Street performances pop up spontaneously, and crowds gather and clap and cheer.

I think the best thing about Hongdae is the realization that it will be an easy day trip for us. It’s only one subway stop down from Sinchon, where the bus from Ganghwa heads every 15 minutes.